Revolutionary posters by Kazu Livingstone

True valor never dies. If nobody is perfect, can any political system be? Everything has good and evil inside, every idea is new and old. Capitalism won in 1989 – Historians wrote about it. In 2012, Occupy Wall-Street came to occupy, but very few reforms were made… Our system is not capable to change. Maybe it can’t. Perhaps we are perfect ? Using the Iconography of neo-communism, this project suggests the question: will leftist societies be back any time soon ?

A Series of Historical posters

Kim Jong Un – I’m a Big Boy now

Our Gifted Leader – Pandara’s box

Heavenly Palace

Occupy poster – The Liberator

World tour 2012

Kazu Livingstone lives in South-East Asia. He travels often regionally and has seen the story of globalisation first hand. It’s prejudices, and all it’s glory.

THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NARRATIVE PROJECT.

“You know you don’t have to go if you are scared. You don’t have to prove anything”.

Messages of this kind and similar ones poured into my facebook inbox and my mobile phone.
I admit, it was not an easy decision to partake in this project. From about a week prior to the journey to Beit Jalah, I stopped sleeping. Nightmares returned at night and by day my head was full of difficult thoughts and fears. In between, I repeated in my head, like a mantra, a sentence that my friend Gilad Chushani said to me a few weeks earlier: fear stems from lack of knowledge. And I knew that I don’t know, and that I’m afraid. Rational or not, this fear was tangible even though I didn’t allow myself to get carried away with specific worries concerning possible dangers that might lie in waiting for me in the Palestinian town, in an encounter with people about whom I knew nothing except that they are Palestinian artists.

My last encounter with Palestinians on Israeli/Palestinian soil was very bad indeed. It was on the 21st of December 2000; I was a soldier in the Nahal and volunteered to help members of my peer-group who had settled in Maskiot in the Jordan Valley. While I was playing backgammon with a girl from my unit in the Meholah Junction, waiting for a lift to Maskiot, a young Palestinian man aged 20 or 21 sat next to us. Half an hour later, exactly at the moment of my sweeping victory in the game, he arose and walked towards the bus stop. A disturbing thought crossed my mind. I didn’t hear any approaching bus. I turned my head to follow him and suddenly felt him standing behind me, gripping me from behind tightly. I grabbed his hand that surrounded my neck in an attempt to break free when he screamed something in my ear and then there was a colossal explosion. I will skip all the graphic details. Later I spent 5 months recovering in Rambam Hospital, followed by a year of rehabilitation. Ever since, I suffer from loud ringing in my ears, and my daily activities brought to a standstill from time to time, with flashbacks where I re-live this experience weighing me down. This happens nearly always when I hear Arabic, see Arabic script, hear the explosion-like sounds of car engines, and all sorts of other benign situations; in short, what is considered a full post-traumatic phenomenon. So there, I have explained a bit about the reasons for all my anxieties and the fears I felt in anticipation of my visit to Palestine.

"Post Zionism?", Map of Israel burned on my back. Omer Golan, 2006.

And indeed, as I arrived and took in on which side of the Separation Wall I stand, I was engulfed by anxiety. For about four hours I felt myself under an offensive of anxiety and flashbacks which were in stark contrast to all the smiles and polite head gestures exchanged by everyone. After getting to know the Palestinian participants and as I was getting used to this strange situation and to the simultaneous translation which was constantly whispered in our ears by Ahmed Jafary the skilled translator, that the many tensions bottled inside myself were only just then slightly eased (that particularly pacifying peace-pipe that we jointly smoked certainly didn’t hurt).

All the participants in the project gave chilling testimonies on their encounter-points with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and it was generally felt that all the artists who took part were there not for the sake of apportioning blame but in order to find a starting point for the future – a future without violence, occupation or bloodshed. I will not repeat here the terrible stories that nearly choked me when I heard them, and I will not delve into the details of the traumas, which people on both sides grew up so much so that they seem an almost “natural” and inextricable part of life.

Isratine, Tal Golan, 2008

In the website of the Bereaved Families Forum (www.theparentscircle.com ), the objects of this “Narrative Project” are described as follows: “To build trust and empathy, to further mutual understanding between Palestinians and Israelis and to provide tools for recognition and understanding of the national and personal narratives of the other side”.

I think that this is exactly what we did, or at least started doing. Through the honest sharing of our personal narratives, by means of the mutual curiosity and interest of the art created on the other side of the divide, and by identifying with the basic and universal difficulties faced by artists wherever they are, we came closer, feeling our way, trying to get to know each other better. Mostly though, we learnt at close range what perhaps seemed obvious to most of us beforehand, but was better understood in Beit Jalah, namely, that people and their actions are a direct product of their lives’ circumstances.

Mohammad W. Al-Dawadeh

One of the most interesting parts for me was on Saturday morning, when two professors of history, Eyal Navah and Khalil Baader arrived, and introduced us to chapters from a history book written jointly by them, which describes the two narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the respective viewpoint of the two nations side by side. They spoke about Zionism, the Balfour Declaration, the White Paper, the Holocaust, the Naqba/War of Independence. Each of them told the history as told in their society. The gaps between the national narratives are huge. I was very familiar with the Israeli narrative. Probably my bizarre interest in history since childhood had instilled this “knowledge” in me very well. The Palestinian narrative, on the other hand, was almost entirely new to me. Previously, I never understood their perception of historical events that I assumed I knew so well.

There were incredible moments for me when, for example, I was sitting with a nice Palestinian guy on Friday night for an in-depth chat into the early hours of the freezing night in Beit Jalah, and between exchanges of photographs and stories, on art, politics and anything in between, for a flash I glimpsed at this situation as an observer.
There was I, a former IDF soldier, who was mortally wounded by a suicide-bomber a young Palestinian student, sitting and having a conversation about political art, religion and music, with a young Palestinian student and painter, who some years prior to this, was in an Israeli prison charged with a failed attempt to cause an explosion against Israeli soldiers in Nablus.

I cannot describe what I felt, but it soon turned into a recognition, that he is participating in this project with me today and he wants to encounter other voices in the Israeli society, beyond the ones he already knows, those of soldiers and settlers. And here we are by ourselves, chatting and everything is alright, no one is blown up and the conversation flows, and at times even makes us laugh. The dialogue about art helped me bridge many of the strange moments that passed through my head almost against my will.

“Future of Religion”, The Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Omer Golan 2010

One of the most significant things that happened to me on a personal level during this weekend, was that I managed to dissolve to some extent the hard cognitive connection forged in the last decade, between spoken and written Arabic and death and terror. In my mind new associations emerged, between Arabic and good, interesting art, between Arabic and good, interesting people, and between Arabic and people like myself, who are seeking freedom of choice in their profession, creativity, time and life.

I want to summarize and tell you that through this project I met people who are similar to me as far as religion, a wish for secular state for both people and conceptual art are concerned. In fact, in many ways the similarities exceeded the differences. I met people who are interested and willing to co-operate in artistic and social matters, do not believe in boycotts and want to be creative and be active. I hope we will exhibit our art jointly, here in Israel and in Palestine, and in the world. After all, we have much more in common than just a tragic history, a blood-saturated earth and perhaps a few genes.

We are going to meet again in a fortnight in Lifta, a site of a former Palestinian village at the outskirts of Jerusalem, whose inhabitants abandoned during the 1948 war, and I eagerly anticipate this meeting.

I warmly recommend to you to follow the activities of the Bereaved Families Forum and to try and participate in similar project arranged by the Forum in the future.

Omer Golan, 31, a painter and new-media artist. His works are created on the seam-line that combines technology, science, sociology and art. Omer studied new media programming in order to create his new-media works. Using computer, sensors, cameras and unique software that he created, he generates certain rules that help him manipulate the space in which he displays his works and produce dynamic works that react to the audience’s response and transpose passive viewers into participants.

Tamir Zadok’s film Gaza Canal ,תעלת עזה is nothing less then brilliant. Zadok’s humorist approach to this politically charged subject matter is genius. If you haven’t seen yet this film you absolutely must watch it. Just beware that the film completely rely on fabricated contents and “facts”.Gaza Canal, describes the Canal’s construction. It was created for the opening of a Visitor Center on site, and forms a part of the Center’s permanent display. For the current exhibition it was shifted to the Gallery. The Rabin Visitor Center in Gaza Canal offers a visitors route which includes a virtual tour of the Canal, historical documentation of the digging work, and interviews with the project initiators. The Gaza Canal was created over the course of eight years, during which 61 kilometers were dug by 15,000 Jewish and Arab workers. It began as an American initiative and saw many crises along the way. Over the years, however, it became a symbol of change and improvement, a paragon of a healthier reality, creating a reality of prosperity and tourism, industry and commerce in the “island of Gaza.” Zadok’s chosen tactic employs tools from the field of propaganda, such as interviews and documentary photographs, which constitute the body of documentation indicating that the construction of the Canal was the optimal humanitarian act for implementation of the Israeli fantasy—”to throw all the Arabs into the sea.”

The piece above was done yesterday morning on Quai de Valmy in Central Paris by Nick Walker. It’s in response to Sarkozy’s decision to ban the burkha. From Nick:

“It’s particularly tense in Paris. They are in between elections and the reaction is expected to be quite strong. The police discovered the piece 30 minutes after it was completed and we don’t expect it to stay up long. After months of wrangling, the government are believed to be only days away from ratifying the ban.”

“I’ll do the stupid thing first and then you shy people follow”

Frank Zappa

So there you go. My dictators mustache. I’m half Iraqi and half Russian so I have excellent dictator genes from both sides of the family. I’m made for the job. Plus, both my grandfathers had a glorious mustache. If you wonder what facial hair got to do with dictators read this guide to evil dictators facial hair.

If I somehow assumed sole and absolute power and control in Israel I would change a lot of things. This is my fantastic dictatorship:

There are many fazes that a medicine/cure goes through before it reaches patiences to help them. Clinical Trials are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions (e.g., drugs, diagnostics, devices, therapy protocols). These trials can take place only after satisfactory information has been gathered on the quality of the non-clinical safety, and Health Authority/Ethics Committee approval is granted in the country where the trial is taking place. So how does all of this relate to my dictatorship? I would speed up the development time of cures by allowing clinical trials on violent prisoners. There will be not death punishment for any crime under my regime. Instead, new and experimental drugs will be tested on criminals from early stages. Prisons should be totally self efficient. They must be able to produce the funds that are needed to operate them on their own. Clinical trials would be one of them ways in which they could do it. I am not talking about replacing the jail punishments, only about adding to them. Our society should not suffer the burden of sponsoring prisons or the scums that live there.

“Future of Religion”

The Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Future of Religion, Omer Golan 2010

Next on my agenda will be the complete and total separation between state and religions. I understand that religions had important functions in society in the past. But it is not the case any more at the present.

Religion is a matter of faith. Under my dictatorship, religions will not be allowed to organize. No matter what religion you believe in, faith is personal, belief is personal, so it will not feed on public funds any longer. Greedy organized religions will have to give back to society all of the wealth they accumulated on our expense and will be shut down and outlawed. Religious ceremonies will not be in any way a part of the new state’s agenda, there will be only secular holidays, like maybe a national BBQ holiday, and a great celebration of the dictator’s birthday (note May 14th for the celebration). Religion will have no grab on the institution of marriage, only civil marriages will be legally obligating.
To my view, religious sites and symbols belong to the past, and to history museums. I will take all the religious sites and put them in a glass boxes for display in one great big History Museum dedicated to religions that will be built in Tel Aviv, or maybe somewhere far out in the desert.

Church of All Nations, Jerusalem, Future of Religion, Omer Golan 2010

I will make Israel one secular country for everyone (that I like) that want to live a decent life, with a family and a job and whatever, I will chase out the religious lunatics and nationalist fanatics. The IDF will have to give up half its budget, and do a lot more community work and keep the (new) order. The money that we will get from the army we will invest in education. A lot of education. because smart, educated people don’t blow themselves up.

At the end of the day, just like some old Roman dictators, I will give back my power to the people. Some people are bothered when I say all kind of anti democratic statements, like “democracy failed, or it really needs an upgrade”, or the one about that NOT all people should be allowed to vote. Some just think that I am crazy. I think that it’s very logical. The majority are uneducated and easy to manipulate, we should definitely not do what the majority choose. So my idea seems very reasonable: I suggest to put a few multiple choice questions about the candidates and political parties and views right next to the voting polls. If someone don’t know enough about their favorite candidate and the elections – their vote will be discarded (and a bucket of cold water will spill over them with an automatic mechanism).

The future of a country that gave up on democracy

This is my senior project in visual communication studies in HIT – Holon Institute of Technology.
The project criticizes my country’s current government’s anti-democratic direction in the past year or so. It is a series of illustrations that show an apocalyptic future scenario, in order to provoke and raise questions among Israelis about the direction the country is going, and to think if this is the country we want to become in the future.

BlindLoyalty- Sivan Hurvitz

Against the Spirit - Sivan Hurvitz

Pride and Prejudice - Sivan Hurvitz

Internal Security - Sivan Hurvitz

Children Are Joy - Sivan Hurvitz

Dark Education - Sivan Hurvitz

Ink and pencil drawings colored by Photoshop.

Sivan Hurvitz
I’m an illustrator and graphic designer, working and living in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In my work I try to express my thoughts and opinions about the reality we’re living in here, with hope of maybe making a change.

“Statue of Limitations”, a strong and controversial political image. This great drawing has been released about ninety years earlier than anticipated because reclusive artist T. Royal who prefers to release her work posthumously says there is just too much at stake to keep this particular image below the radar. “We’re fighting and dying ostensibly for the freedoms of other countries, yet here at home we see our own freedoms eroding on a daily basis,” Royal said.

Not surprisingly, the release of Statue of Limitations has evoked mixed reactions. While some people identify with the symbolism, others are clearly offended by it. “I don’t like what it says about our country,” said one art critic. “I’d rather see Lady Liberty standing tall with an Uzi in her hand.” The artist claims that she welcomes feedback from detractors as well as supporters on a community Feedback forum that she created at her website (the link is at the bottom) but the forum isn’t working, strangely enough, the store on the website that sell prints and other items portraying Statue of Limitations that are available for purchase is working just fine. I have a feeling that T. Royal is not her real name, but that doesn’t matter. I appreciate her highly detailed pencil drawings for its quality and guts, and I think that no matter what your political response to this drawing it is easy to appreciate the excellent craftsmanship of this artist who has no formal art training at all.

Zina Saunders’ Political Satires

Many artworks require lots of complicated explanations or speak in an abstract language that only the artist understand. Saunders’ political satires are completely clear, sharp, and totally self explanatory. We will give you just a taste from her vibrant, colorful, and very interesting portfolio – the link is as usual, at the end of the post.

Sarah Palin, political satire painting by Zina Saunders.

Rights. Zina Saunders. So many symbols in one painting. Amazing.

"And then, he taxed all your money and gave it away to the poor!" Zina Saunders.

ArtPolitica is a collaborative blog about political art. Our aim is to expose contemporary works of art which express the artists' political and/or social stance and to evoke public discussions revolving their ideas.